First Coin Shop?

Technically the US mint is a coin shop right?

I mean a private, for-profit business that makes money selling coins to collectors.

In case I needed to spell that out.

That could be a rather vague thing. Very possibly there were many stores that sold coins a long time ago. However, just as today, probably many also sold many other items. Sort of like a Hobby Lobby store. All the so called coin stores I've ever seen, also sell other items, not just coins or coin collecting items. One I know of also sells antique items from hundreds to thousands of years ago. One I know of sells sporting items like old baseballs. It is rather difficult today or anytime in the past to just sell one item or one type of item. If you look around you would see that possibly every store sells something other than what they appear to specialize in.

Found another interesting report on one of the earliest coin sales in the USA in the E-sylum archive while I was researching another topic, thought
I'd share it here in this thread.

The E-Sylum: Volume 2, Number 8, February 22, 1999, Article 6

CONTEMPORARY REPORT OF AN EARLY COIN SALE

In the "Show-N-Tell" category, here's an interesting account
from an unnamed and undated newspaper article pasted onto
the endpapers of my copy of the 1846 book by William Du Bois,
"Pledges of History." The book is the first record of the cabinet
of coins at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. The article describes
a coin sale, probably the March 25, 1862 sale of the John K.
Wiggin collection by Edward Cogan in Philadelphia:

"RARE AMERICAN COINS AND MEDALS - A
NOVEL SALE

A sale somewhat curious and interesting took place, a few
evenings ago, in Tenth street, consisting of nine hundred and
eighty lots of rare American coins and medals. Mr. William
C. Cook acted as auctioneer. The bidding was very spirited,
especially for the finer pieces. Among the numismatoloists
present we noticed Messrs. Strawbridge, and McCoy, of
New York, Mr. Cohen, of Baltimore, Leavitt, of Cincinnati,
Chambers, of Providence, Bertah, of Mauch Chunk; and of
Philadelphia, Messrs. Coffin, Zehnder, Jenks, Mickle,
Cauffman, Emlen, Moneita, Potts, Humphries, Jones, Nipper,
Clarke, Cline, and others. Below we give prices of some of
the finer pieces, which no doubt will prove interesting to
many of our readers."

The article went on to list prices of fifty-seven lots. Top bids
were for a 1796 Half Dollar "remarkably fine and rare," $28,
an 1854 proof set, $21, an "excellent impression" of a 1799 cent,
$14, and a 1794 Half Dime "proof, very rare," $8.13. The
account is an interesting window into the golden age of
American numismatics. Although the reporter misspelled many
of the names, they are still recognizable as including the major
numismatic figures of the day. What fun we "numismatoloists" of
today would have if we could be transported back to that sale.
Pleasant dreams...
Wayne Homren, Editor